Evaluate what Technological Needs & Barriers do International Students Research Paper

Evaluate what Technological Needs & Barriers do International Students face in accessing the Library Services at Bournemouth Uni - Research Paper Example Assumptions by quantitative purist are in consistent with positivist philosophy. This implies that, social observations should be considered as entities in the same manner physical phenomena are treated by physical scientists. In addition to that, quantitative purists argue that, entities subjected to observation are separate from the observer. Moreover, they write that, inquiries in social sciences need to be objective. Therefore, context-free and time generalizations are necessary and social scientific results real causes should be in a position to be determined validly and reliably (Foley 2010, p.18). On the contrary, qualitative purists are not in support of positivism. Qualitative purists are also referred to as interpretivists and constructivists. This group is in support of idealism, humanism, constructivism, relativism, postmodernism and hermeneutics superiority. Unlike quantitative purists, they contend that, content-free and time generalizations are neither possible nor rel iable. In addition to that, they put across that, any research has a bound value. As a result, it is quite difficult to fully differentiate effects and causes, and the flow of logic follows a particular pattern. That is, from specific to general. For example, through the utilization of the collected data, explanations can be inductively generated. Furthermore, knower cannot be alienated from known. This is because knower being subjective acts as a basis of reality (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie 2004, p.14). There are differences between inductive and deductive logic. In deductive logic, a researcher utilizes large volumes of information and comes up with conclusions. On the other hand, inductive logic generalizes information using a single information piece. Rationale for the Research Methodology Utilization of mixed methods helps in bridging the division that exists between qualitative and quantitative research. The research focusing on an aspect that is specific, it is therefore signifi cant to utilize mixed method. Qualitative research will emphasize on interpretive knowledge. The knowledge is remarkably essential in the public relations and marketing communications field. For purposes of answering survey questions and obtaining of data that is deductive, quantitative method will be of great value (Daymon & Holloway 2002). In addition to that, data collection and analysis in qualitative responses that are embedded can aid in explaining and augmenting survey responses that are contradictory or complex. Moreover, qualitative methods are essential in removing bias. As a matter of fact, they help the researcher in testing or empirically justifying their affirmed hypothesis. Despite the benefits, the mixed method has its own limitations and challenges. For instance, the conversion of qualitative data into quantitative form results to loss of data flexibility and depth. Similarly, data that is quantified is one-dimensional and fixed. This means that, they have a limited response that represents a conceptual group that is determined before data is collected from the field. Research Methodology The research design proposed is that of mixed method. It will be accomplished in twofold phases. The first phase comprises of a process that is qualitative for purposes of data analysis and collection. The second phase will comprise a quantitative process. The process will aid in obtaining data that is